Revelation
by millertime1985
Summary: When Nell has a relative visit, She is left unsure if she can reveal the truth about her relationship with Callen to her Family and best friend. Sequel to : Redemption. Chapter 2 added: 11th August 2014, Chapter 3 added: 22nd August (When G Callen is poisoned he hunts the man responsible, even risking his life and his happiness)
1. Chapter 1

Notes: Thanks for taking the time to look over my story.

This is my third Fan Fic, and like my last stories, I didn't want to publish a it chapter by chapter, in case I got side tracked... I know how frustrating it can be when you're enjoying a story, and you're left on a cliff hanger... with no update in sight.

I have however ended this with a lead in, to give me a fixed starting point if I choose to continue

I have tried to keep characterisations right, but I may have slipped up here or there.

This is a follow up to my previous stories "Sacrifice" and "Redemption" I am aware that this is a much shorter story than both of those, however "Sacrifice" required a lot more ground work to establish the story,

I hope you enjoy it.

I'll wait for at least 5 feedback before I decide how to start the next one

I do NOT own NCIS:Los Angeles or any of its Characters. I'm just borrowing them

* * *

G Callen was looking around the office, trying to find Nell… She had seemed more than a little stressed when he saw her this morning. Neither of them had actually spoken with the other about their feelings. They had been dating for close to 2 months now, and the most stressful thing that they had faced was Hetty finding out they were 'together'.

It hadn't just been him that was concerned about her, Kensi had noticed it too… and if she knew what was causing the stress, she wasn't telling Callen. It would probably not have been on his mind so much, if it wasn't for the fact that they hadn't had any cases to work in the last week. There was only so much paperwork that they could complete, even Deeks had managed to get his mountain of paperwork up to date.

This left them with either cleaning their guns and doing some target practice, or working out in the gym.

By 6pm they were starting to pack up to go home, and he still hadn't managed to find Nell and ask what was wrong. He had no justification for going into OPS and asking Eric if he knew where the young analyst was. It would be different if there was a case that he could use as an excuse to speak with her privately. Eric was the only one of the main group of staff that didn't know that Nell and Callen were 'together'. It wasn't them trying to be cruel or secretive; it was Nell had no idea how to tell her friend and colleague, who had a very obvious crush on her, that she was involved with the older special agent, without hurting him or damaging their friendship.

…..

*Knock Knock*

Nell opened the door to find Callen standing there

"You could have let yourself in, it is why I gave you a key"

"I know, but I wasn't sure you were even home yet"

"Come on in" Nell said, turning and walking down the short hallway, with Callen following behind her after closing the door

"You okay? You seemed stressed, or distracted this morning, and then you just seemed to vanish"

"My mom called me this morning. My cousin's got a job interview in LA, and my Aunt wanted to see if I would let her to stay with me, while she's here"

"How long's she supposed be out here?"

"One week, maybe two…"

"So I take it you don't really get on with your cousin"

"She's always tried to one up me… I get a boyfriend; she either tries to get a better one, or just stole mine. I go to college; she gets into a better one. I guess I'm just not looking forward to having her pick fault with my life, my friends …. My boyfriend"

"It's not like you're on your own, anymore though. All of us have your back"

"That's not real problem… I've not mentioned anything to my family about… well…"

"You've not told them you're dating an older guy" Callen almost had a look of disappointment on his face

"The last time I spoke to them about a guy, it was before everything happened with your amnesia, and what happened between us… they still think I'm interested in Eric. And when Jenny get's here she's gonna find out and take delight in telling the rest of the family... I'm not ashamed of you. Really I'm not… but I don't think my mom or dad would approve of this, because of the age difference. So I'm split between being honest and this not being approved of, or… lying, and hiding it… just to keep things 'comfortable' with my parents"

"You do have another option… It's not one I personally feel 100% comfortable… but it would help deal with the situation while she's in town."

"What other option is there?"

"Eric's your friend right…"

"Yeah?"

"He's your friend, who cares about you… who your family already know about, and I'm guessing, would approve of. So ask him to pretend to be your boyfriend while she's here"

Nell was astounded, that idea hadn't even occurred to her… but now that she knew it, she wondered if she could actually do that, without hurting Callen's feelings

"…and you would be okay with that?"

"It's not going to have me jumping up and down with joy. But if it's what makes things easier for you, I can live with it"

"No, I can't ask that."

"Nell… You didn't ask. I offered another solution. It's only for a week or so… so I think we can manage just seeing each other at work for that long."

Nell threw her arms around him, and thanked him for the idea, and being secure enough with the idea to make the situation a little easier for her

…..

"You look awful this morning. You wake up on the wrong side of the floor?"

"No Deeks. I haven't been sleeping on the floor for several months now…."

Deeks turn looking to Kensi for some indication as to whether or not Callen had a bed now, all he got in return was a solitary nod

"…And I slept fine. Just not for long. So I went out running at about 3am"

"You know I remember the days when you grudged doing any exercise" Sam added, as he sat down at his desk

"I don't grudge exercise, and you keep telling people that, they're gonna get the wrong idea about me"

"So, any sign of us getting something do today?" Kensi asked Callen, since he had been in long before she had arrived

"Doesn't look like it, at least not yet… But if you're looking for something to do, how about teach Deeks to chew with his mouth closed"

"Hey" Kensi began "I'm a special agent, not a miracle worker"

"Hey… I am not THAT bad" Deeks said, trying to defend himself

Before anyone could say anything else, Hetty appeared from the hallway, and instructed Callen to follow her

"Assistant Director Granger spoke with me last night, since there have been so few cases for your team of late, I'm looking for one of your team to take on an assignment for a couple of weeks. We need an agent to fly out to Yokosuka, to cover for a Special Agent who has to return home for at least a fortnight.

You can decide amongst yourself who takes the assignment. But I need a decision by noon"

Callen returned to the bullpen and spelled everything out, what the options were. He had already decided he would take on the assignment, as it would make things easier for Nell while her cousin was in town. He would have loved to see Deeks face if he told the detective that he was the one being TDA'd.

"Look… You guys are needed here, So I'll take the TDA. You keep me up to date with going on here by email. I'll be gone for 2.. 3 weeks tops. Decisions made okay.

Sam and Kensi grumbled a bit, but ultimately knew there was nothing they could say that would change his mind

…..

"What do you mean you're going to Japan. This isn't funny"

"I never said it was. The assignment came up, and me not being about, will make it easier for when you have Jenny here… reduces the chance of her finding out. I am coming back… I'm not cutting you off, and I'll even try to not piss off any well connected navy personnel who could develop a grudge or need for retribution against me" he smiled, quite proud of his little humorous comment at the end of his statement

"When do you leave?" Nell asked

"I fly out on Tuesday night. I'll be ok, and You'll be okay… I already asked Sam to keep an eye on you, and I told Kensi what's happening, so you have someone there, that knows what you have going on, if you need any support. And you have a key to my place, if you just need to get away from Jenny for a night"

"I guess you've thought of everything" Nell chewed on her lip, thinking how he could ask Callen to do something for her

…..

"You see her yet?" Callen asked, waiting at the arrivals terminal at LAX with Nell

"No. Thankfully"

"Hey" Callen put one of his hands on Nell's Shoulder "Just relax. There's no point getting worked up. Remember. You can text me or email me whenever things get a bit much, Kensi's gonna make herself available if you need reinforcements… and Eric's agreed to play along. All you have to do is try not to shoot her"

"You Joke, but there's a good chance I may get to that stage"

"Seriously, Nell. You manage to put up with us, every day for the last 4 years… you can manage to deal with Jenny for a week or two"

They stood, watching for Jenny in silence for a while

"That's her" Nell indicated to Callen, as she waved to her cousin

"So how do you know Nell" Jenny asked, as soon as she was seated in Callen's car

"We both work at the TV Studio"

"So you're like what… a producer as well?"

"No, nothing like that. I work for security at the station"

"Greg just offered to drive me since my car is in the shop for a couple of days" Nell added

"Nell mentioned you were coming out here for a job interview. Doing what, if you don't mind me asking?"

"It's for a position as a producer for a TV and Radio station"

"That sounds pretty good"

"Yes well, not everyone can be a rent-a-cop, can they" each word out of her mouth was dripping with obvious sarcasm

While checking his mirrors, Callen could clearly see Nell was clenching her jaw tightly. He couldn't say anything, as that could draw Jenny's attention to Nell. Instead, Callen turned the radio on, allowing the music to distract both Jenny and Nell. He could understand now, why Nell hadn't been looking forward to her cousin's visit.

…..

"So how about we go out for a drink tonight, give you a break. You can even stay in my guest room tonight"

"I can't tonight Kens. I've got Eric coming over for dinner"

"How about after then…?. You can't tell me that you won't want a chance to vent. You can even stay at mine tonight"

"Yes to the drink, No to staying at yours. I have somewhere to be later tonight

"Uh huh. So where do you go when Callen calls you"

"Who said either of us call the other"

"Nell, come on. I know that one of you would call the other. No reason you can't make your call from my place"

"Okay. How about you get some wine or beer or whatever, and I'll come over to yours when I'm finished with Eric and Jenny, and we can have a drink"

"Deal. Just open the door when you come over, don't bother knocking"

…..

"So you're Eric"

"Yup, I'm Eric. Nice to meet you" Eric felt really awkward, firstly as he was having to pretend to be his best friends boyfriend, secondly because he was being introduced in the flesh to part of her family, and thirdly because he had heard all about the cousin.

"You look like her type" Jenny added yet more not so subtle hostility to the atmosphere.

It was obvious to Eric that Jenny wasn't even trying to be friendly. She obviously thought a lot of herself.

"So, we got some Chinese take away, It would be nice if you'd join us"

Nell, being in the kitchen behind where Jenny was seated, rolled her eyes, wishing her cousin would just go home, so she wouldn't need to put up with her hostility any longer. The 9 days she had been here, were long enough already. She just needed to get through another hour, then she could run over to have drinks with Kensi, using the excuse that she had to go back into the TV station to work.

Sitting down around the table to eat, Eric tried making conversation about various leisure activities Jenny could try while in LA. She made her disdain clear when he had suggested she try surfing with him and some of her friends. Nell started talking about various things she had been doing at work as a 'producer', Eric spoke about numerous computer advances. Jenny sat and barely politely nodded as her cousin and her 'boyfriend' were trying to fill the silence and engage her in conversation.

The few things that Jenny did do, as Nell took the dishes to the kitchen to wash them, were to, out of the blue, start acting all friendly towards Eric, going so far as to place a hand on Eric's fore arm. Telling Eric stories embarrassing stories about Nell from their family holidays, Followed by not so subtly flirting with Eric, as soon as Nell returned from the kitchen. Nell wasn't in the least bit surprised by this acting, so she acted like it bothered her, as it was expected that you would react if someone was flirting with your boyfriend or girlfriend.

Having played as the good and friendly relative, for well over an hour, Nell excused herself, as she had 'work to do'. Eric decided to remain with jenny for a while to enlighten her about the joys of surfing and beach front activities. Nell knew it probably wasn't wise to leave him with Jenny, but she was in no position to demand Eric do as she told him to. Anyway, Nell thought, even if Jenny did flirt and encourage Eric to cheat on his 'girlfriend', there was no reason for it to bother her… Eric wasn't her boyfriend, and if he chose to do something with jenny, then more fool him.

…..

"That bad huh?" Kensi asked as she handed Nell a bottle of beer

"No, it wasn't that bad. I mean she told stories about me, and flirted with Eric. But it's just her whole personality… it makes my apartment feel 'toxic' whenever she's there, no matter what she's doing"

"So it's kind of like my moms place when she has her new boyfriend over"

"I don't know how that feels for you, but yeah, that's probably the right description"

"How much longer is she gonna be staying with you then?"

"She's already been called back for a 2nd interview. So at least another 4 days. I honestly don't think I can put up with her for much longer, and pretending to be with Eric.. It's almost like it was encouraging him, at least up till tonight. I wouldn't be surprised if she's enticed him into bed with her before I go home in the morning"

"Eric wouldn't do that, he's too loyal for that"

Nell took a swig of beer before he replied

"I said that about my high school boyfriend. But even if she does it's not going to bother me, unless she hurts him"

"Tell me to mind my own business, but why are you not being honest about you being with Callen?"

The two women flopped down on Kensi's sofa, continuing to take sips between talking

"I don't want to lie to them, but… I don't think my mom and dad would react well, knowing I'm dating a guy at least 15 years older than me. I'm not ashamed of him, not in any way… but I… I don't want them to look at me differently"

"I understand that. But do you not worry that Callen may think your ashamed of him or something"

"No… He knows I'm not ashamed of him. I just.. I want to be the one that tell my parents… not Jenny, when she's trying to make herself look better than my to my parents and aunts & uncles"

"So why not just do it. I mean you just need to see you and Callen together, to know that he cares about you, that he wouldn't let anything happen to you, and that he makes you happy. Is that not what a parent would want for their child?"

Nell paused to give this some serious thought. She was pulled from her thoughts as Kensi put another beer down in front of her

"So do you want to go out and do something, or just stay here and watch a movie?"

"I think just stay here Kens.

…..

".. and my Heart will Go on" Nell and Kensi sang in unison as they walked into the bullpen

"She made you watch Titanic didn't she?!" Deeks asked, already knowing the answer

Nell just nodded and continued singing until she stopped, needing to take a breath. And Headed up to OPS to get started, knowing that she was a little late today

Not finding Eric in OPS, she got everything up and running, ready for when he turned up.

It was almost 10.40 by the time he had shown up. Thankfully all that had shown up for OSP to do was some decryption work for the NCIS field office in San Diego.

Eric looked awful, still wearing the same clothes he had been wearing last night, that looked like he had been sleeping in them. This got Nells mind racing, trying to work out why he would be in such a state.

"Morning, dirty stop out. Where did you sleep last night then?" Nell asked, voice raised a little

"Not so loud please. I Slept… on your couch" Eric answered as he sat down at one of the computer terminals, and dropped his heard to rest on the keyboard

"My couch!. If you were sleeping on my couch, where was Jenny sleeping" Nell asked, squinting her eyes, as she tried to work out a logical explanation for what Eric was saying

"We had a few drinks after you left, and we watch something… I have no idea what, on the TV. After that I just remember waking up on the couch being spooned. Nothing happened… I'm sure of it. I still had all my clothes on"

"Eric. Relax. So long as you're okay, and weren't taken advantage of, it's all ok"  
Eric lifted his had and spun to face Nell, a little too quickly as his headache just got much worse, looking at his friend in wonder, as to why she wasn't bothered. It was something he would think about for quite some time.

…..

"So is your cousin keeping out of trouble?"

"She's been behaving, mom. There's something I need to talk to you about. Just you, not dad… not yet anyway"

"You know you can tell us anything"

"You remember when I told you about my friend Eric, and how we were quite close.."

"Yes?"

"Well, I've not been interested in Eric like that for several months. In fact, we've only ever been friends"

"But Nell, you've always spoken so passionately about him…"

"No, I know that. But we're just friends, best friends. But there is someone in my life romantically. He good, and kind, takes care of me… some times to his own detriment"

"So why not tell us?"

"Because I didn't think you or dad would be too happy. See, he's a bit older than I am"

"Oh Nell… how much older?"

"About 16 years"

"The way you were speaking I was expecting you to say there was more than 25 years of a difference. I want you to understand this, While something like that will bother us, all we really want is for you to be happy, and if that's with this person, then so be it. But you should never feel like you have to hide anything from us"

"My friend Kensi said something very similar to me the other night. It was her than convinced me to tell you. Do you think dad will be ok with this"

"Maybe not straight away, but he will be eventually. So, tell me all about this new man. What's his name, what does he do, what's he like?"

…..

"You were right Kens…"

"I usually am.. What about this time" Kensi said, with a cheeky grin on her face

"My parents. I told them …" Nell looked about to see if there was anyone that would be able to hear them, that shouldn't be hearing them ".. About Callen" she added in a whisper

"So they were okay with it. That's good news"

"Well, I only told my mom, but she's okay with it, and she's gonna tell my dad for me. You know, maybe you should work through your thing with Deeks"

"I have no thing with Deeks. Whatever we had… I don't know if there's enough of a 'thing' left between us, to make it work"

"What would you do if you didn't even try, and then you had to watch him be all coupled up with someone else"

"I'd be happy for him"

"and What about you. Are you not meant to be happy?. You know there's nothing wrong with being selfish every now and again"

"He made the choice about us, and not continuing"

"Well, you know that doesn't mean that neither you or him don't still have romantic feelings for each other. I still think that you'd be good together. And I think you think so too"

…..

"What are you doing tonight?" Nell asked her cousin, as she opened the apartment door

"Nothing, another night sat on your couch browsing TMZ"

"Well, I'm going out, and I'll be out all night again"

"Spending the night at work again are you" Jenny asked, sarcastically

"Nope. I'm staying at my boyfriends place tonight. So you can have the place to yourself"

"Well, I suppose it's only fair for you to get him tonight, since I got him the other night" Jenny wasn't even trying to pretend that she wasn't gloating, and trying to bother Nell

"Eric isn't actually my boyfriend. But I've told my mom about my real boyfriend. So I've got nothing to hide anymore. I'm just gonna grab a change of clothes and then I'll be on my way" Nell called as she disappeared into her room, feeling so much more powerful than she usually felt in her cousins presence.

She had already made sure she had nothing confidential, or professionally revealing before Jenny arrived, but she still double checked before leaving

…..

Opening the door to Callen's house, Nell was immediately hit by that smell that reminded her of him. The house still lacked some of the furnishings that she was used to from her own home. But now at least, he kept a selection of tinned food, extra towels and had added a coffee table and a small couch to the lounge.

Although she had previously been in, and stayed in the house while Callen had been away, being alone in it for the first time since they had started dating, was more than a little disconcerting. She could remember seeing him in each room, could still smell him… but being here, without him… it was just a building, not someone's home.

She sat out in the back yard for a while, drinking a bottle of beer, while reading over the new emails on her tablet. It wasn't too early to go to bed, but it would be at least midnight before he would be finished work, and could speak with her at length.

So for now she could check emails, browse on eBay or play some Angry Birds.

By midnight, Nell had retired to the bedroom, where she had got changed, and climbed into bed, keeping her phone close by as she lay waiting for her call.

She had started to drift off into slumber when she was awoken by the ringing and vibration coming from her phone. Jumping awake, and answering her call, not checking who had called her

"Evening. Sorry I'm calling a bit late. Got tied up dealing with a sailor who was acting inappropriately. How was your day?"

"Mmmm it was good. Told my mom about you, 'cause Kensi gave me good advice" Nell sounded barely awake, as she filled him in

"I'm gonna go, and let you get some sleep okay Sweetheart"

"Mmm no. Don't go. I'm still awake"

"It's okay Nell. You go sleep. I just wanted to call and let you know I'm coming home in a couple of days. But I'll type it all out to you and email it. You can have a read once you wake up okay. Sweet dreams" and the call went dead, with Nell drifting into a deep sleep.

…..

The next few days flew by, for the first time in what seemed like forever, there were actual cases to work, no matter what happened at work, or what Jenny said at night, nothing could drag Nells mood down.

She wasn't lying to her family, work was good, she had been sleeping well, and Callen was coming home.

"Come on… please. I'll even buy the first 3 rounds" Deeks begged

Everyone but Eric had agreed to go with him.

"So what's he actually got going on?" Deeks asked while they were waiting for their order to be brought over to them

"Said he was gonna show my cousin a few areas that she may want to move into if she gets her job"

"That's got to be pretty awkward though, I mean if he starts something up with her, after being besotted by you for so long" Deeks asked

"Honestly, if he chooses to associate with her, after everything he's been told.. then I wish him good luck. But if she hurts him, she won't know what hits her"

Sam, Deeks, and Kensi stared at her

"I'm not interested in him like that, but he is still my best friend" she added, in explanation "- and I wouldn't wasn't to seem him being hurt. Especially not by her"

"Maybe she won't get the job. " Kensi offered

"I know it sounds horrible saying this, but I hope she doesn't"

"You know that you and Eric are one of 'us'. Anyone messes with either of you, they mess with us all"

"Thanks Sam"

"So, come on… when's Callen coming back. You've been walking around for the last few days with a huge smile plastered on your face. Either you've won the lotto, or Boss man's coming back" Kensi hit Deeks' arm for saying that

"He arrives into LAX on Friday afternoon, I've already spoken to Hetty about getting away early, so I can pick him up"

"Speaking of Hetty" Deeks started "Seems like she hasn't been there. Should we be worried?"

"She's away at a security conference with Granger" Sam offered "Should be back tomorrow"

"So she's not been there, and we didn't know we could run wild. That's so not cool"

"I think that why she didn't tell you, she knew you'd get us all in trouble" Nell answered, with a smile on her face

…..

As soon as Nell saw him exit through the arrivals door, she ran towards him, and wrapped her arms round him in a hug, like she hadn't seen him for months

"Glad to see you too" he said, looking down into her eyes while smiling

"So, tell me what's been happening with you"

"Nothing new. Just what I emailed to you. Jenny's leaving tomorrow evening. She didn't get the job"

"Well that's good isn't it. I mean it's not good for her, but you didn't really want her in living and working in the same area as you anyway"

"Yeah I know. I feel really bad for thinking that. I mean no matter what she has said or done to me…. She's still family. On the subject of family… my mom is talking about arranging a visit so she can meet the man her daughter is dating"

"I actually don't know if I'm meant to be happy, or terrified about the prospect of meeting your mom"

"My mom is great. You've nothing to worry about, so long as you're being good to me, she will accept you with open arms. It's my dad you may need to worry about, but he probably won't be coming with her, at least not this time"

"That's a weight off my mind then"

"…are you trying to tell me that Special Agent G Callen can face down terrorists, drug dealers, and other criminals without breaking a sweat, but you're actually scared about the prospect of meeting my dad?" Nell found this idea highly amusing,

"Well yeah, is that not normal… I mean meeting a girls father. No matter what I say, do or am… he's still going to treat me like a criminal. It'd be like having a staring contest with Hetty"

Nell couldn't help herself from laughing at him, about the pair of his obvious fears

"Yeah yeah. Laugh all you like. So tell me this… how many nights did you spend at my place" he asked

"Just the two nights, I was gonna stay there another night, but ended up staying with Kensi having a few drinks"

"Who won the drinking contest?"

"She did. I lost count how many bottles I had, and she had a lot more than me. It's like she has hollow legs"

Now it was Callens turn to laugh

…..

The next night Nell was back at the airport, dropping Jenny off. Despite knowing she didn't have to, she accompanied Jenny until she was to pass through security

"Well, it was ... nice to see you again. I'm sorry you didn't get your job"

"Yeah, well something else will show up. It normally does." Jenny replied, actually not being snide or sarcastic for once

"Have a safe trip anyway" Nell said as she hugged her cousin good bye

…..

After Nell left the airport she drove over to Callens house. It had occurred to her that they rarely spent time together at her place. It didn't bother her, it was just something that she hadn't realised until now.

Opening the door, Nell called out to Callen "I hope you have my dinner ready"

"It never ends does it, I cook, I clean, I shoot paper targets, however did you manage without me" he laughed as he was finishing their meal

"Can I do anything to help?" she asked

"Same as usual. Can you lay out the cutlery"

You know, I can do more than put down cutlery and occasionally wash the plates"

"I know you can. But I like cooking for you. Besides, I don't know what you've been eating for the last 2 weeks. For all I know, Kensi has had you eating cheesy nachos every night"

He put the plates down on the table, and took his seat opposite Nell

"This looks great. What's the sauce on the pork chop?" She asked, genuinely curious

"It's a barbecue sauce I let the pork marinate in all day"

"One of these days you'll have to tell me where you learned to cook" she said between bits of her meal

"It's not a big secret. I learned at one of my foster homes. I just don't tell many people that I can do it… if you're under cover you can't be seen to live solely on McDonalds or take-away. Besides, what would Sam moan at me about, if he knew I could cook, and eat healthy-ish"

…..

"Is it just me or was Eric giving me a bit of attitude in OPS?"

"He did seem a bit passive aggressive. Although I couldn't tell you if it was directed at you, or all of us"

"What could I have done to bother him, I've not been here for a fortnight. He was fine with me before I left, Sam."

"Why not just ask him we go back to the Mission." Sam suggested

…..

Eric was staring at the computer screen, using the satellite feed to advise the agents in the field, which way to go in order to apprehend the suspects.

Kensi and Deeks had apprehended one of the suspects and were already en route to the Boatshed.

Sam and Deeks on the other hand had split up. Sam was driving round to block off the road access, while Callen had taken off, after their suspect.

He had been chasing the guy for almost 5 minutes, climbing over fences, and running through yards eventually chasing the suspect into a dead alley following Eric's 'advice'. It never failed to surprise him that whenever one of them would shout that they were a federal agent, the suspect always either shot at them, or ran in the opposite direction. Just once it would be nice for a suspect to stand still, with their hands up, and surrender.

The man Callen had been chasing was a well built guy, who looked like he was either taking steroids, or spent all his free time in a gym. Having the guy cornered, Callen realised it may not have been such a great idea to face this guy on his own.

Callen made a move to try and get the guy on the ground so he could secure his arms with zip ties, but the guy instead, grabbed Callen's arm and slammed him face first into the wall, sweeping one of his legs to knock Callen off his feet.

Having already grabbed Callen's side arm from him, the man stood, towering over him… pointing the barrel of the gun at Callen.

Starring down the barrel of his own gun, Callen's life flashed before his eyes. Remembering when it was first explained to him that he had no living family, and was a ward of the state. Staying with the Rostoff's. Joining the CIA, First day at NCIS. When Macy formally introduced him to Sam, after their first Op. Helping train Kensi. Reporting Dom as Missing. Confirming Dom was dead having been shot. Saying goodbye to Nate. Meeting Nell, Finding Hetty shot in the Comescu house, Pointing his gun at Granger time and time again. Waking up in the hospital. Taking a bullet for colleagues. And then a flash of each of his 'family', followed by Nell Smiling at him.

Then, he heard an engine and a thud and the guy who was going to shoot him had been knocked hard into the wall as Sam ran into him.

He had never been so glad to see his partner.

…..

"Didn't do so well today did you Callen" Eric said, Snidely

Callen turned to face the technical operator, In a raised voice he ordered the other support staff in Ops to leave. Once they had, he returned his attention to Eric

"What is your problem with me today. First its passive aggressive behaviour, then it was bad intel, Snide comments and don't think I've not heard about you telling other support staff about what happened to me out there today.

So here's your chance. You have a problem with me, you say it to me. You want to take a punch fine.. but whatever your problem is, it finishes today"

"You're a liar. You've been pretending that your not doing something, when you've been doing it for ages. You're not good enough for her!"

"Why don't you just say exactly what you think. 'cause I don't have time to play your silly games. I've not had a problem with you until today"

"Fince Callen. Nell deserves better than you"

"Oh" Callen said, as everything suddenly made sense. He didn't know how, or when Eric had found out. But Hetty had warned him to make sure Eric knew, before he found out on his own. And Callen hadn't found a way to tell him, and now look where it had gotten him

Callen put his best game face on, before saying anything further to Eric

"_IF_ something was going on between Nell and myself, it would be none of your business. You're not involved with her, she's not cheated on you. So I'm not seeing what your problem is, apart from jealousy"

"She's my friend. My best friend. And I know all too well what your idea of a relationship is. You'll end up hurting her, and she'll wind up leaving"

"Again, Eric, If something was going on between us… I wouldn't hurt her, I wouldn't want her to leave. And sometimes, people can change for the better… Where they wouldn't be so casual. You know, you could have just asked, Nell or I, instead of this bullshit. I know how much she values you, and your friendship, and I can understand how much hurt you could feel, if she was involved with someone other than you. Sometimes you just need to accept things, and support your friends, whether you agree with their decisions or not"

Callen left Ops, allowing Eric some time to digest things. He knew Nell would have to speak to her friend about what was going on, before their friendship got strained. The last thing Callen wanted was to be the cause of any Damage to her, or her relationships.

…..

"Hey. I was thinking, maybe you should go out and do something with Eric" Callen spoke into the phone

"I thought we had plans, at your place" Nell asked

"I know. I just had a talk with Eric. Turns out he knows about us. I don't know for how long though"

"I don't want to cancel our plans"

"Nell, I promise you, it's ok.. You have a life outside of us. Last thing I want is to be the reason you lose your best friend"

"You're amazing, you know that right. I'll come by later"

After ending the call, Callen felt better. It hadn't really occurred to him before now, that he had been dominating a lot of Nells time, and he knew he wouldn't be that happy with someone, if they came between Sam and his' friendship

…..

Standing at Eric's door, Nell was trying to think about how to tell her friend what had been going on. This wasn't the first time she had been wondering about this, in fact she had been thinking about it almost every day for the last few weeks. She had never intended lying to Eric, but she just hadn't felt capable to telling him. She loved him dearly as a friend, and she knew that he had some non platonic feelings for her, feeling that she didn't return. Telling him was a huge risk for her, what if she lost him.

Before she could give the subject any more thought, Eric opened the door and turned to walk back insider the flat, leaving her to enter and close the door behind herself.

"Why" she heard from inside.

Entering behind him, and closing the door she approached the back of his couch.

"I couldn't risk losing you as a friend. No matter how I thought of telling you, the risk was too great."

"I thought you knew me better than that Nell" There was a hint of aggression in his words

"Would you know how to tell me if you had met someone. Would you know how not to risk our friendship"

"I wouldn't lie" he said bitterly

"I never lied to you. I made sure I didn't lie to you. I just didn't tell you full story"

"Yeah… right" Eric paused, looking deep in thought "Why him?"

"I don't know where to start. I had never thought about him like that, not until after he got amnesia…"

"Tell everything, make me understand…"

…..

Things had started to go back to normal, despite things still being quite tense between Eric and Callen. But they were at least managing to function normally.

"So Michelle was asking about you the other night"

"I did nothing, so what's she accusing me of doing now?"

"Nothing like that. She's just been asking if you were still with Nell. I guess she's still surprised that you've managed to stay with someone, for so long"

"It's so nice to have friends with such high expectations. Things have been pretty easy going. Other than her mother coming out to visit her, and analyse me to see if I'm deserving of Nell"

"Oh. That'll be fun for you" Sam chuckled as he pulled the car over.

"According to Nell it's no big deal. At least so long as her Dad isn't coming with"

"All seriousness though. If any of us suspected you were messing Nell about, You would have plenty to be worried about"

"Yeah, I remember the team meeting. So, back to work..."

The two special agents got out of the car, walking up the path to the door, they each pulled out their Side arm, ready for whatever was on the other side of the door

Having knocked, and no one having answered, they opened the door and entered the house, each clearing a portion of the house.

"Clear" Callen heard his partner call

Callen called to his partner once he saw what remained in the otherwise empty and ransacked house.

"You have to be kidding me" Sam stated

"Doesn't look like it. What do we do now?"

"Well maybe getting it out of here would be a good idea"

"Hey. You've had one… you lift it" Callen said

…..

"Where's Mr Callen?"

"He's bringing in our witness."

"As you well know Mr Hanna, unauthorised personnel are not permitted within this building"

"Hey. Not my idea, Hetty. Take it up with G"

No sooner had Sam spoken, Callen walked in slowly with their witness

"Ah, I understand" Hetty said, as she saw Callen approach her office , "Why did you not hand the child over to CPS?" She asked Callen

"Firstly as she could have been lifted as leverage, to make the commander give access to classified materials, so I felt it was best that she remain in our custody, and secondly,…" Callen said as he handed the baby to Sam, Only for the baby to cry so loudly it made even Hetty worry about hearing in the future, and then as Sam handed the baby girl back to Callen, the child stopped crying, and started cooing. "When CPS showed up the kid wouldn't stop screaming for anyone but me, she they've agreed for her to remain in our custody temporarily."

"Very well Mr Callen. But she is your responsibility" Callen was left dumbfounded by Hetty's 'condition'"

…..

The remainder of the day, saw Callen never being more than 2 foot from the baby, this restricted their ability to investigate in certain situations, requiring that Deeks work with Sam, while Nell worked with Kensi to maintain pairings.

Callen instead remained in the office, filling in paperwork, changing and feeding the baby. This had several of the female OSP staff swarming around him.

Callen had to admit he would previously have loved the attention, but now he only had eyes for Nell. Having Nell on the streets worried him, even though he knew she was more than safe with Kensi, at least when they were out of the car.

He had been unable to set foot in OPS, since the baby (that Callen had been calling Amy as they didn't know her real name) wouldn't stay quiet with anyone but him, and the rule about no foods or drinks in OPS, that Hetty refused to repeal given the unusual circumstances, which limited his use.

"You Okay Callen?" Eric asked as he passed the bullpen on the way to the toilet

"Yeah. Just not feeling too useful right now, since our glorious leader is for all intents and purposes restricting me to here"

Eric paused for a second before answering "Look, gimme 5 minutes, and I'll come back down and brief you with what's going on"

"Thanks" Callen Called after Eric

…..

"You're really good with her" Callen heard Kensi say from behind him

"You wouldn't mind holding onto her for a couple of minutes would you Kens?" Callen practically begged

"Okay, for a couple of minutes" Kensi responded

No sooner had Kensi agreed, Callen had gently placed 'Amy' in her arms, being sure not to awake the baby in doing so.

Callen quickly but quietly moved out of the bull pen and down the hallway to the toilet.

After taking care of his bladder, he stared washing his hands, but found himself being distracted by thoughts of foster homes that had refused to care for him and he had been too upset and vocal. Part of him felt the baby would have been better off with the CPS until they found her mother, but the other part of him knew he would have felt too guilty to do to the baby, what had been done to him, too many times.

Opening the toilet door, he could already hear the baby starting to cry. He briskly walked down the hallway to find Kensi with a look of pure fear on her face as she held the child out in front of her.

"Give her here" Callen instructed his younger colleague, as he entered the bullpen.

Kensi quickly handed the baby over to him, and was amazed how she stopped crying almost the instant she was back in his arms

"How did you do that?"

"I didn't do anything. What started her crying? One of Deeks' jokes?" Callen asked, curious

"Honestly, nothing. She woke up just after you left and started getting worked up and crying. Deeks isn't even here" Kensi said, as she watched Callen sit down on the couch and start bouncing the baby on his knee.

"Is Nell with you, or is she at the Boatshed?" Callen asked, sounding concerned

"She's debriefing Commander Wilson with Sam. I can take you both down there, for their reunion"

"Just let me grab my jacket, and we can go"

…..

"Thank you so much for looking after my little girl"

"It was our pleasure Commander Wilson. She was no trouble what-so-ever" Callen said with a smile on his face

"What was that you told the commander about her baby not being any trouble" Sam asked his partner

"The truth. She behaved and was no trouble… not for me anyway"

"Uh huh. A little bird told me that you had been quite popular around the office today"

"Does your little bird wear glasses!. It was nothing to do with me, it was all the kid. You know how some women get with a baby"

"Yeah, I know. So are you gonna admit your 'appeal' to Nell, or are you gonna keep your mouth shut and hope?"

I'm going to tell her the truth. It's nothing worth keeping a secret. Besides, it was part of the job"

"Yeah?, so what the excuse when you used to take Zach out in his stroller"

"I was a different person then, as you well know"

"Yeah I do, man. You're a good guy G. Dya need a lift back to the Mission, or are you catching a lift back with Kens?"

"I'll catch a lift with her and Nell

…..

"Do you fancy some take out at my place?" Callen asked Nell

"Would you maybe mind going back to my place, just for a change" Nell asked in return

"Yeah. I've no problem with that" He replied

"Kensi told me how good you were with the Commanders baby"

"It's a knack you pick up. I helped take care of younger kids in some of my foster homes. I guess it's like riding a bike. So how did you manage being back in the field?"

"I managed fine, other than getting thrown against a wall" Nell admitted "But I'm fine, honestly" She added, noting the concern on his face

"You're not going into the field again"

"Yes I am, and stop trying to change the subject. You probably attracted quite a bit of attention then!"

"Ok, sure… a few of the girls at the office were swarming around us. But the attention was unwanted. You can ask Eric to show you the security feed, if you don't believe me"

"Uh huh, Sure" Nell said, being quite obvious that this was said in jest "In all seriousness though, I have some good news, and some bad news for you"

"Well, if you're being serious… try and shock me"

"My mom called me, and she's coming out here next week"

"Okay then… is that the good news, or the bad news Ms Jones?" he asked, with a smirk on his face

"That's the good news… the bad news is that my dad has insisted on coming with her"

Callen stared back at her, not knowing what to say


	2. Chapter 2

Notes: Thanks for taking the time to look over my story.

I had intended this to be a sequel to "Revelation", but I finished it, I felt that it would be better off being published as part of "Revelation"

I have however ended this with a lead in, to give me a fixed starting point if I choose to continue

I have tried to keep characterisations right, but I may have slipped up here or there.

This is a follow up to my previous stories "Sacrifice" and "Redemption", and Continuation to "Revelation"

I am aware that this is a much shorter story than both of those, however "Sacrifice" required a lot more ground work to establish the story,

I hope you enjoy it.

I'll wait for at least 5 feedback before I decide if I should continue

I do NOT own NCIS:Los Angeles or any of its Characters. I'm just borrowing them

* * *

"So I guess I said that I heard what she said, that her Dad's coming with her Mom" Callen explained to Sam, speaking slower than normal

"Have you ever had to actually deal with a girls parents before?, and I don't mean undercover"

"No. But I manage to deal with terrorists with guns almost every day, how hard can it actually be"

"I love you like a brother… but you have no idea what you're heading into"

"Okay, say I believe you… how did you manage to deal with Michelle's parents?"

"That's easy. I'm charming" Sam stated, oozing confidence and belief in his own abilities

"Uh huh, Maybe I should be asking Michelle about this"

…..

"He just keeps on saying he is fine about it. Is he THAT confident, or is he just not taking this seriously. Do you know how many guys my dad chased off of me and my sister"

"He'll take it serious. You know how Callen is, he'll joke about it just now, but he'll be 100% serious and focused when it's game time" Kensi told Nell

…..

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, and checking the caller ID to find that it was a withheld number. Callen answered the call and pulled the phone to his ear

"Special Agent G Callen. Surprised to hear from me" the familiar voice of Marcel Janvier asked.

Callen moved quickly inside the mission, seeking to find Eric, to see if he could get a trace on where Janvier was calling from. Managing to find Eric and without saying a word, indicated to Eric to start a trace

"I Didn't realise that you got a private phone line supplied in your cell. What do you want" Callen replied, trying to conceal the frustration in his voice

"I want to see you suffer. It's hard to make the man who has nothing, suffer. But Simple to destroy the man who had something to lose. You have something to lose, and I want to see you broken when you lose her"

Callen's eyes shot open, as he instantly realised to whom Janvier refered.

"Why don't we just do this mano-y-mano. I'll even give you a gun" Callen was aware of Eric's sideway glances towards him, obviously wondering who Callen was talking to

"No, No. I'll take her from you, and then I'll take you from your family, before I put a bullet in you. I'll look forward to settling our little game" And with no notice, Janvier ended the Call. Leaving Callen to go over what had been said

"Did you get a trace?" Callen asked

"Not long enough. But I can keep trying to get the callers number" Eric stated, even though it sounded more like a question

"Do it. Keep this between us, and let me know if you get anything" and Callen left OPS, heading out to the car park

…..

"Where's Callen?" Kensi asked Sam as they walked up the stairs to OPS

"Don't know… He's not been answering his phone. Probably just running late" Sam replied just as they walked into OPS,

Eric started briefing them on their new case. A former Navy Captain having gone missing, along with intel about the capabilities of the new 'Gerald R. Ford' class aircraft carriers

By the end of the briefing Kensi and Sam weren't the only ones to have noticed Callens Absence. Nell was visibly concerned, while Eric didn't appear to be too bothered, but this had been how he had been acting, ever since he had found out that Nell was dating Callen.

…..

"What do you expect me to do Callen. I have no link to NCIS, and you're the one that said that I'm just an asset for the agency to use"

"I know what I said. But I'm in a bind… I need someone I can trust, that's not connected to NCIS. I've already run it past Rich, he's willing to let me make use of you. But if you'd rather stay locked up here…"

"Fine, I'm in. But you're going to have to tell me everything"

"Okay. About 3 years ago we got involved in the investigation of an arms dealing group…."

…..

"Where have you been all week. You could have answered your phone, you know, let me know you were still okay"

"I've just had a lot going on, and needed some time to work through everything"

"Why, what have you had to work through?"

"It's about us, Nell… I don't think this is going to work"

"You bugger off for 3 days, without so much as a word. But when you come back you decide that what we have isn't worth anything, two days before my parents are coming to meet you. I thought you were a better guy than this. I really did" Nell replied, with a raised voice.

"It's not that I don't care about you… I just think that you're better off without me in your personal life" Just saying the words caused a pain in his chest,Something Callen hadn't thought of when he made the decision to break things off with Nell. "I'll not be about the office for a few days, give you some time to deal with everything" Callen added, before he walked off towards Hetty's office

…..

Walking up the stairs to her apartment, Nell desperately wanted to just climb into bed and lose herself in a book or whatever Sitcom was airing on TV. Opening the door to her apartment, she felt something was wrong… her lights were on and there was a bag on the floor next to the couch. Instinctively she reached for her service weapon, aiming it ahead of her as she started to clear each room, searching for the intruder.

Turning in the hall towards the bedroom, she heard a creaking from behind her, followed by the barrel of a gun being pressed against the back of her head. Feeling she had no choice but to surrender, she raised her hands and stood wondering what was going to happen to her

"You can drop the gun Ms Jones" a familiar voice said, from behind her "I'm not here to harm you… quite the opposite"

Nell turned to verify who had spoken to her, finding it to be Tracy, Callen's 'Ex', she raised her gun again, aiming it towards Tracy

"What are you doing here, and why are you not in prison" Nell asked, demandingly

"I'm your new roommate. And I'm here, and not in prison because I was told to be here"

"Who would ask YOU to be here, in my apartment?"

"You already know the answer to that. I suggest you take it up with him"

"Why would he bother having you watch me, when he just broke up with me?"

"Look Nell, I can call you Nell can't I?. You know he is a complicated guy, he does things in the wrong way, for the right reasons. All you really need to know is that he does care, and that's why I'm here"

"Why can't either of you just give a straightforward answer, would that really be so hard. Why are you here!"

"You're in danger because of him. He needed someone outside your agency to watch over you while he tries to sort the situation. That straightforward enough for you"

…..

"Come on Hetty. You have to know where he is. If you know about my lawn, then you have to know where he is, and what's going on"

"Mr Hanna… I cannot tell you what I do not know. Perhaps your time would be better served by focusing on your job. As soon as I know something that I feel you need to know, I will inform you of it"

Having given up, Sam returned to the bullpen, to do as Hetty had suggested.

Just as he entered the bullpen, he heard Nell's voice, and decided to ask her if she knew where Callen was. He stopped where he stood, as he watched Nell and His partners ex wife enter the Missions central chamber.

"Been a while Sammy" Tracy said to him, as she got closer

"What the hell are you doing here" Sam said, his voice slightly raised. Sam's raised voice attracted the attention of Kensi and Deeks, who were similarly confused by what they were seeing

"It's ok Sam. She's with me" Nell interjected on Tracy's behalf

"Well maybe you can fill us in on how she's been permitted entry to this building…"

"That would be by my authority Mr Hanna. Very nice to see you again Ms Keller" Hetty said, as she silently appeared at Sam's side

"Likewise Ms Lange. If someone could tell me where I can sit and wait"

"Wait for what?" Kensi asked

"For a firearm to be issued, and then, where she can wait until Ms Jones is finished for the day" Hetty replied

"Okay, Why is she here, and why is she being given a gun?" Sam asked, quite irritated by the whole situation

"I don't know the full story, but Callen sent her to protect me" Nell answered

"It's Janvier. He's out of prison…" Eric's voice said from above them.

…..

"…It's okay. Just take a few deep breaths. In, and out." Kensi told Nell, as she patted her friend on the back

"It's not okay Kens. He's out there alone, hunting that lunatic, who's hunting me, in order to take revenge on G. How is that… in the slightest bit… okay?" Nell managed to ask, just barely managing to not start hyperventilating

"Alright. It's not okay. But he knows what he's doing. It's obvious that he's more concerned about you"

"No!?. Really…" Nell said, with the sarcasm in her comment, obvious to anyone listening. "What gave it away… the fact that he's abandoned me and left me with his ex wife living with, and protecting me?. If I didn't know better I would almost think that he's just disappeared so that he doesn't have to meet my parents. Oh god… my parents. How am I going to explain Tracy"

"We can come up with something, I'm sure. How about a partial truth… Say she's someone who just started working with you, that Callen knew previously"

"I guess that is the closest to the truth, we're gonna get. How do I do this, how do I live with Tracy, while not knowing whether or not I'm ever going to see G alive again?"

"There's nothing I can say that's going to make things any easier for you. But you'll already know that Callen trusts her enough to her protect you, so that, should be enough for you. I know that isn't the answer you would prefer, but it's the truth, and you know it" Kensi watched her young friend, waiting to see how she would react

"How about, when we finish tonight, I'll grab some take out, and come back to yours. That way you won't alone with Tracy again, at least not until you feel ready to"

…..

"So is that what you actually do?, I mean the staring at computer screens?" Tracy asked. Nell couldn't tell if it was genuine curiosity, or if it was a sarcastic statement

"It's not all I do. I do analysis, and all the other background stuff that agents in the field rely on. But I do work in the field when needed, as I'm firearm trained… like while G was in hiding the last time we saw you, and I did quite a bit of field work while he was recovering after his shooting a few months ago. Eric, that's my partner, he rarely gets to work in the field, when he does it's rarely solo, there always one of the guys or me, with him to watch his back" Nell replied, offering more information than she knew she had to. Watching Tracy drive back to her appartment

"Callen… his shooting, how did it happen. He got over confident with someone didn't he?" Tracy asked, curious, while focusing on the road.

"It was his first day back with us, after his time away recovering from amnesia. Some guys got drop on him, he gave himself up to protect me and Kensi… once the bad guys were done with him, they shot him and dumped him in the middle of the road"

"I thought you Navy cops were meant to be some of the safest federal agents in the country. Mind you, I doubt Callen would have been happy if he was too safe"

"That's putting it mildly" Nell paused to study Tracy. "You know, if you hadn't of shown up, I would have said that G had tried to break up with me to avoid meeting my parents"

Tracy stared at Nell, while they waited for the light to change

"You mean that you were actually going to manage to get him to meet your parents?. I don't think I had ever even heard of him being in a committed relationship. I mean we were married, but it wasn't like married married. Hell the fact that he's managed to be in a long term relationship is nothing sort of a miracle"

"I don't know why I'm telling you any of this, but I'd never really viewed G as being someone you could have a relationship with. casual fun, maybe… but not a real relationship. Then something changed, and I found it almost impossible to not think about him"

"Yeah, he's a good guy. Maybe a bit idealistic, though"

…..

Kensi had just left Nells apartment. Nell was clearing away the plates and cutlery that they had all used for their meal. Tracy had been checking the door and windows to make sure they were securely shut, and then closing the curtains and blinds to ensure no sniper could see who or what was inside.

"You can take the spare room… no need for you to keep sleeping on the couch" Nell offered

"That'd be great… thanks"

"No problem. I feel that you should know, my parents are coming into town tomorrow… even with G not being here, they will still be about. I just want you to know what to say if they ask you anything. You work with me at the TV station, and you've known G for several years. It's more or less the truth, swapping the TV station for a federal agency."

"If that's what you think is the best thing to say, I'll go along with it."

"It is. I'm gonna go to bed, Your room is next to mine.. there are extra pillows in the cupboard, and there's extra towels in the bathroom if you want a shower or anything"

After retiring to bed, Nell moved about, trying to get comfortable enough to get to sleep. She ended up laying back, staring at the ceiling for quite some time. She had gotten used to Callen sleeping beside her, and this being the second night in a row where he wasn't with her, left her felling less comfortable than normal. The bedding didn't even smell of him, since she had washed it all just a couple of days previously.

After hours of not sleeping, Nell decided to get up and go for a drink of water. Switching the light on in lounge and then the Kitchen, she got her drink of water and was just returning to her room when she heard a gun shot, followed by glass smashing one of her windows. She threw herself on the floor, and crawled over to where she could hide behind one of the brick walls. Within a few seconds of this Tracy had rushed into the lounge and over to a window, called out to Nell, telling her to stay low, While she looked out the window see if she could see where the shots had come from. Nell gave it no more thought, and pulled her phone from her dressing gown, hitting her code in and activating the 'agent needs assistance' alarm. She had no idea why she had taken her phone with her, but she was glad she had. All she had to do now was stay low and out of site, and wait for Sam, Kensi or Deeks to show up.

…..

"… No I told you, I'm alright"

"We're just worried about you. Hetty wants to put you in a safe house" Kensi offered, in explanation

"This was a 'safe' house. Other than here, there's only two other places I would feel safe"

"…and I'm guessing neither of them are agency safe houses" Sam stated

"The office, which isn't really equipped for that… " Nell offered

"You know Hetty won't approve of the other place" Kensi stated firmly

"Well, I'm not going anywhere else… and I can't really have my parents come to see me in an NCIS Safe house"

Sam sighed as he looked at the floor, while Kensi looked to him to see what they were going to do.

…..

"This place looks better than I would have expected"

"Yeah, well… there used to be less furniture in here. The couch and table are only here, 'cause I forced him to get it. The bed in the main bedroom, I got from a friend…. The rest is what he thought he 'needed', since he moved in"

Tracy just nodded her head at what Nell was telling her

"Well I'm go secure the property. You wait here. Don't move" Tracy instructed

Within a few minutes Tracy got back, having checked the window and door locks, and then yard for concealed entrances

"So are we good now?" Nell asked

"Yeah. So who's where?"

"You take the main bedroom. I'll take the middle room, since I'll not be visible through the window if I'm on the floor"

"You sure you wouldn't rather the main room?"

"Honestly. Anyway.. you're the one that's here to protect me… you can't do that if you can't get a good enough rest"

"Uh Huh." Tracy said, almost as if she already knew there was more to the story

Nell had just managed to lay down on Callen's bedroll, with the quilt pulled up over her. The smell of him wafting into her nostrils helped her drift almost instantly to sleep.

…..

"We were so worried about you honey. We got to your apartment and there was a sign on the door declaring it a crime scene" Madeline Jones asked her daughter, as she gave her a big hug

"So where are you staying now, and who is this woman" Daryl Jones asked, gesturing to Tracy

"I'm staying at my boyfriends place, This is Tracy... we work together and she's my roommate. There was just a shooting in my neighbourhood; some of the shots broke my window. It just made sense to stay somewhere else until everything is resolved. Honestly, there's nothing to worry about Dad"

"Uh huh. So where's this boyfriend we came to meet?" he asked

"Daryl" his wife said, and she swatted his arm with her hand

"He's out of town at the moment" Nell gave some thought to what to say next "He should be back in a few days time"

"Well maybe you can tell us about him. Something other than the fact that he's older than you" her father almost demanded

Nell looked to Tracy for some support

"Yes he's older, but he's also very caring, a good cook, makes me feel safe and protected all the time. He's very serious, but has a good sense of humour. You'll both really like him, I know you will"

"We'll see"

Nell knew to expect that sort of response from her father. She didn't know if it was because her boyfriend was older, or if it was just because it was any guy that was interested in his daughter

"I've got to go into work just now, but maybe we can meet up later this evening, or in the morning?" Nell told her parents

…..

"What's new?" Nell asked Eric as she walked into OPS

"Callen called in from a burner phone while you were out, He was following a few leads, and I gave him all the up to date intel we have. He's agreed to call in again at 20:00 to update Hetty"

"So what can I do?"

"You can help me run down the list of IDs Callen provided. He thinks some of them could be being used by people working for, or with Janvier"

Nell sat down at the computer terminal and started working through the IDs, verifying which were legitimate, and which were suspicious.

Eric watched her as she tapped away at her keyboard. She had seemed less like normal self, and now she seemed to be friendlier with this Tracy woman who previously worked with Callen. Although he couldn't tell if his concern about her relationship with Tracy was because he was jealous, or if it was because the team had a less than stellar past with Tracy in the past. Ever since he had found out from Jenny, that Nell was dating an older man that she worked with, that turned out to be Callen, things between them had been different… he tried not to act differently towards her, but he sometimes found it hard to separate their friendship from the romantic feelings that he held towards her. But he knew that what was going on now would be deeply troubling her, not just because of Callens situation, but because she was worried one of the other could be hurt when they tried to take down Janvier, with or without Callens help.

…..

"I've got him" Eric called out to anyone who could hear him. Sam, Kensi and Deeks rushed into OPS moments after Eric had called out

"I just caught him on a traffic signal camera on Washington Boulevard. He's a passenger in a car that was reported stolen about an hour ago. Guys... Nell's meeting her parents a few blocks from there"

"Eric call Nell, and make sure Tracy and her are ready. Then upload the address to our phones, We'll start heading over there now" Kensi and Deeks rushed out of OPS and down the Car park. Sam held back for a moment, and asked Eric to try and get in touch with Callen, to let him know they had a clear sighting of Janvier, and that they suspect he was heading towards Nell and her parents

…..

"It was nothing. Just a call from work, to see if I could go in early tomorrow" Nell explained to her parents. "It's a real 'Rats Nest' there some times isn't it Tracy" Nell said to her 'bodyguard', using their codeword to let her know trouble could be coming.

"It's non stop sometimes Mr and Mrs Jones, It really is" Tracy responded

Nell could see Tracy fidgeting, most likely making sure she could get at her gun easily. Thankfully her parents hadn't noticed.

She knew that Tracy was armed and was most likely ready for anything, and she knew that she had her own gun. The rest of the team were already on their way, all she could do now was wait… as if the last few days hadn't been tough enough, the waiting is what was annoying her most at that moment, that, and her fathers questions and not so subtle digs about where her boyfriend was.

Every few seconds, when she wouldn't be noticed, she was watching the room, where other people were seated, where the entrances and fire exits were located, and watched people walking along the sidewalk past the restaurant. She could even see Tracy doing the same thing.

As much as she had begun to trust Tracy, she would have felt a lot more secure with Callen beside her. She reminded herself that she did trust Tracy, although mostly because Callen trusted her.

Glancing at people walking past the restaurant window, Nell noticed an unshaven man who was walking much slower than other pedestrians, was paying considerable attention to where Nell was seated and was fumbling in his jacket for something.

Nell just caught the sight of a gun being pulled out of the mans pocket, and pulled her parents down to the floor. Tracy noticed the same man, and has tipped over a pair of tables for them to seek refuge behind.

Pulling her firearm from the small of her back, Nell could see the looks on her parents faces change between confusion and fear. Keeping her head behind the table Nell waited for the shots to stop, before raising her head and gun, aimed at the man who had fired through the window, in their direction, and fired 2 shots immediately after Tracy's own first 2 shots. They had managed to wound the unshaven man, none of their shots having hit him centre mass despite their intentions.

All of a sudden 2 further men appeared to back up the first shooter. In all the excitement the sidewalk had cleared quickly, with pedestrians having run off following the first few shots. Nell and Tracy took turns raising, and taking a few shots at the now 3 shooters, before ducking and allowing the other to take a few shots.

More glass shattered, pictures fell from the walls, other customers screaming and trying to stay hidden from the shooters

"One got one mag left" Nell called over to Tracy. Tracy in turn slid a spare mag over to Nell, to enable them to keep fighting and defending.

When they finally managed to take out 2 of the shooters, and had the third man retreating. They took it as a good sign, Tracy got up and positioned herself by the window to see if she could get a clear shot at the retreating shooter, she couldn't, but she had a good enough description of the man to give to police or NCIS once they arrived on scene.

Nell stood up from behind her own table and moved over to join Tracy. They checked with each other that they were unharmed, but next thing Nell heard was her mother calling out, 'behind you'. Before she could do anything, she saw Tracy slump to the floor, and when she turned around she found the familiar face of Marcel Janvier standing, aiming a gun, with his sole remaining hand, at her head.

…..

Callen had gotten the text from Eric telling him where they believed Janvier was headed. Luckily, he had been staying on a boat only a few miles away. Jumping in the small hatchback he had borrowed, he sped over to the restaurant. As he managed to get parked in a back alley, he heard multiple gunshots and people screaming. Jumping out of the car, he instinctively ran in the direction of the gun shots. He had to wonder about how many other people would actively run towards bullets rather than way from them.

Entering the restaurant through the open access door to the kitchen, he moved with purpose, but making sure that no one would be able to get the drop on him, even though the kitchen was empty. Eventually reaching the door that separated the food prep area from the customer seated area, he peered through the small porthole to see if it was safe to proceed. What he saw shook him to his very core… his Nemesis was standing pointing a gun at Nell's head.

He knew he had to act quickly, but if he proceeded without properly analysing the situation, he would be at risk of putting Nell in greater danger. Deciding that he had to take a risk now, Pushing the swing door open slowly and as quietly as he could, he moved through the door way and further into the restaurant, until he was only a few steps behind Janvier

"Drop it" he instructed the man pointing the good at Nell… Janvier barely flinched. Instead turning his body so that he could clearly see Callen, while still aiming his gun at Nell

"Special Agent G Callen. I Thought I would have to leave this message for you, but instead I can deliver it directly"

Callen could feel his blood boiling, He could see Tracy, slumped over on the floor unconscious. The look of fear and concern on Nell's face, The man and woman he believed to be Nell's parents. How could he stand there, and let Janvier shoot their daughter only a few feet from them.

Not wishing to remain lost in his thoughts, brought on by the situation.. Callen moved the hand in which he held his SIG, as if to surrender to Janvier, instead of aiming for the man himself, Callen quickly re-aimed his own weapon and fired at Janvier's hand, causing him to lose his grip on the gun he had been holding. Quickly Pulling Janvier away from Nell, and throwing him to the ground, where Callen aimed his weapon at Janvier.

"Go ahead, shoot me again… it's the only way you'll ever truly be rid of me" Janview managed to say, the pain on his face and in his voice clear to see and hear.

"Put your hands up, and drop the weapon" A voice demanded from behind Callen.

Turning, Callen found it to be a pair of LAPD officers

"I'm a federal agent, Just let me get my badge from my pocket" Reaching into his pocket and digging out his ID, he threw it over to the officers for them to confirm his identity.

The two officers lowered their weapons, and apologised to Callen. They secured Janvier until paramedics could arrive to treat his wounds. This left Callen to check that Nell and Tracy would be okay, and then figure out how to explain this situation to her parents… He chose firstly to apologise to Nell for what he had put her through, and then hug her. Turning to face her parents, he chose to tell the truth, there was no other way he could logically explain what they would have just seen and heard

"Mr and Mrs Jones. I'm G Calen… it's a pleasure to meet you" he said as he offered his hand to help Nell's parents up from the ground.

Neither of her parents knew what to say, and after allowing Callen to help them to their feet… they walked over to Nell and started interrogating her and why she, and her roommate, had both had, and used guns against the 3 shooters

"It's a long story. And I will tell you, but not here, not now… If you haven't already figured it out, this is my boyfriend" Nell said, as she gestured over to Callen.

…..

"So what are you gonna tell your folks?" Kensi asked her young friend, as they waited in the boatshed

"I don't honestly know. I guess I'll have to wait until Hetty is finished with G, before I can even start to work out what to say" Nell offered, in response

They sat at the table, watching Sam and Deeks interrogating Janvier, and occasionally checking the feed from the second interrogation room, where Nell's parents had been placed, until Hetty decided what was to happen.

Hearing one of the doors behind them opening, both Kensi and Nell turned to see Callen and Hetty walk in

"Ms Jones, a word if you please" Hetty instructed as she turned to return to the car park

"It's nothing to worry about" Callen said, to Nell, as they grasped each other hand as they passed one another.

…..

"You need to stop walking out on us when things get tough"

"I only walked out this time because I thought being around you, would put you in more danger"

"You should know by now, that we're better together… and I don't just mean 'we' as in us. I also mean it as in the team. If it wasn't for Eric and Tracy, we wouldn't have even known why you vanished"

"I'm sorry. I realise I did the wrong thing… but I thought I could catch him without putting any more of you at risk. We already lost Hunter and Renko because of the bastard"

"Apology accepted, but... you owe me a home cooked meal for every night you were away. Deal?"

"Deal" Callen smirked at Nell's condition for accepting his apology . "So what are you gonna tell your parents?"

"I still don't know. Hetty has left it up to me, to decide what I tell them. I think I would have preferred it if she had chosen"

"Do you want me to tell them?. I mean they wouldn't have known, what they know, if it wasn't for me declaring to anyone who was listening that I was a federal agent"

"That wouldn't explain why Tracy and I reacted like we did, why we started firing at what for all they know, could have been innocent pedestrians. For all they know I'm a criminal or an assassin"

"They're your parents… they'll know that you're neither of those things. Just ask yourself a simple question, Can you really trust them with the complete truth" he paused for a second, not having any idea how to continue or what to say, since he had never been in a similar position.

…..

Madeline and Daryl Jones were still sat on the couch still in shock from what Nell had just told them

"How can you be a Federal Agent…" Madeline Jones asked her daughter, Turning to her husband "Come on, tell her… tell her she can't be a Federal Agent"

Daryl Jones sat, looking back at his wife. He knew that no matter what he said, either his wife or his daughter would 'have a go' at him

"The truth is Mrs Jones, that Nell isn't really a field agent, she has received training to enable her to work in the field, but most of the time she works in our operations centre working on information analysis for myself and my colleagues. Our boss is very protective of Nell, which is part of why she is rarely used as an asset in the field" Callen explained

"Is that so… then why was she armed when she was just coming to lunch with us, explain it to me" Nell's mother practically demanded

"There was a very… specific security threat, and it was felt that Nell was best served by being armed, despite having a bodyguard with her.."Callen responded, before being interrupted

"A bodyguard. You mean that Tracy woman." Madeline then turned to her Husband "See I told you there was something weird about her. Didn't I!"

"Tracy is a former colleague of mine, and when this threat transpired, and when I knew I couldn't protect Nell myself while carrying out a man hunt, I requested she stick with Nell whenever she wasn't in our operations centre. Your daughter is more than capable of taking care of herself, but I wasn't prepared to take the risk"

This seemed to have the desired effect, and satisfied Nell's mother, that her daughter was in safe hands

"So… have you just moved in here?" Daryl asked Callen

"No, I've lived here for almost 4 years. I just don't feel the need to fill a room with stuff, just for the sake of it. In fact, if it wasn't for your daughter, I would still be sleeping on the floor" Callen answered

"So tell us then… how **did** you two get started" Madeline asked

Nell and Callen looked at each other and Smiled, at the memory of how they had gotten started together a few months earlier.

"It started back in February…" Callen begun

"I needed help moving my new TV, but my friend Eric had had to change his plans… So G offered to help me…"

Nell's mother interrupted her "You've both used the initial 'G' in place of his actual name" She gestured to Callen "What is your actual name?"

…..

"Come on, keep yourself occupied. How did you get on with Nell's parents?" Sam instructed his partner as he sped to a hospital

"Not bad, Once we got passed the explanation about my name, and why their daughter carries a gun. Nell seemed happy at how well her father and I got on. But I doubt her mother will be inviting me to thanksgiving dinner any time soon." Callen paused to take a drink, from his bottle of water, trying to regain some bodily fluids after his profuse sweating "Promise me you won't tell Nell about me being poisoned… it has to stay between you, me and the hospital staff" he begged his partner


	3. Chapter 3

Notes: Thanks for taking the time to look over my story.

I hadn't expected to be posting this so soon, but thanks to the encouragement from several of you, I managed to write this in about a week, when I had expected it to take 3 or 4 weeks. It was originally posted as a stand alone fic, but now feel it is better off as part of 'Revelation'

I have tried to keep characterisations right, but I may have slipped up here or there.

This is a follow up to my previous stories "Sacrifice" and "Redemption", and Continuation to "Revelation"

I am not sure if I am going to continue this 'series', or just do short one shots. But I will be taking a break for a while.

I hope you enjoy it.

I know it can be a bit uninteresting, but I value feedback, as it lets me know what people like, or don't like from my efforts. Or just so I know if you have enjoyed it in general. So I would please ask you to take a minute once you've finished reading it, to let me know what you thought.

I do NOT own NCIS:Los Angeles or any of its Characters. I'm just borrowing them

* * *

"Promise me you won't tell Nell about me being poisoned… it has to stay between you, me and the hospital staff" Callen practically begged his partner

…..

4 Hours Earlier:

"Are you absolutely sure about this Mr Callen. This is a major life decision, that I hope you're not making it in haste"

"Believe me, Hetty, the last few days, never mind the last few months, have reinforced just how overdue this decision had been. Just tell me where to sign"

Callen leaned back in his seat, and waited as Hetty to indicated where he had to sign. As soon as he had sign the document he stood up, intended to head back over to the bullpen, when he decided to ask the question that had been bothering him all night long

"I assume Janvier will be sent to a Supermax facility this time, rather than another medium security prison. I would rather not have to deal with a second prison break"

"I assure you, he will be in our highest security facility. The Marshals will be moving him later today. Assistant Director Granger has taken a great deal of interest in how he managed to escape without anyone at the prison knowing" Hetty replied

…..

"You have more 'first day backs' than anyone I've ever worked with… Everything sorted with Hetty?" Sam asked his partner

"Yeah, just a little paperwork I had to take care of. So, we got a case yet, or are we still sitting on our hands?"

"Nothing yet… even if we get something it's just us to deal with it. Kensi's assisting Deeks with one of his LAPD cases. So unless it's serious, we're on our own"

…..

Present:

"How long till you get the results from his blood test, Doc?"

"I've put a rush on them, but it's still going to be at least an hour till the lab get anything. I'll be sure that someone contacts you as soon as we know anything. In the mean time, try to keep up your water intake, so you don't get dehydrated"

Once the Doctor had left, Callen and Sam returned to the Challenger. Sam was concerned that Callen had said almost nothing since the blood sample had been taken

"You know, it's okay to be worried about something like this. You don't need to pretend with me"

"I am worried. I have more now, than I have at any other time in my life, and it does worry me what would happen to you all, after I'm gone. That doesn't mean that I'm anywhere near ready to give up" Callen replied, adamantly

"Glad to hear it" Sam remarked

"and In case you're worried… when I eventually 'pop my clogs'… I'm leaving the 'Mutt' to you and Kens" Callen added, with a smirk

"That's nice… so much for being your friends" Sam managed to say through his laughter "In all seriousness though, what do you want to do now?"

"I want to catch the bastard. End of"

"Well, lets go back to the last place we know he was" Sam started the car and pulled out of the hospital car park

…..

2 Hours Earlier:

"What are you telling us then Rose?" Callen asked

"Well he wasn't shot or stabbed, Nothing unusual in the stomach contents. There is a small cut on his neck, so I've sent off blood samples for testing, but it'll be a while till I get the results back"

"Can you call us when you hear back?" Sam asked

"Sure thing"

…..

"You manage to have your private word with Rose?"

"Yeah, just wanted to thank her for the bed… first time we've... well, first time I've worked with her since Nell got the bed from her" Callen explained to his partner

"I'm surprised that you kept it. I mean you lived in the house for how long?, just sleeping on the floor. But I'd love to know if you kept it because you prefer sleeping in it, or if you kept it because of who got it for you"

"You really think I'm that sentimental, Sam?"

"Before… No, I wouldn't have said you were sentimental. Now though, since your amnesia, or whatever _you_ want to call it, you have been different"

…..

Present:

Walking through the corridors of the abandoned hotel, Sam and Callen check each room for any signs that someone had been living there, or any equipment that may have been left

"You sure you don't want to go back to the car, get another bottle of water?"

"I'm sure Sam. Sooner we find this bastard, the better off I'll be. It was just round the corner that he got the drop on me"

"You know, we're gonna have to speak to Eric, and get him to put out a BOLO"

"Not doing it Sam. If we tell Eric, Nell finds out, and I'm not ready for **_that_** conversation"

"We don't need to tell Eric exactly why we're looking for this guy, we can say it's for assault against a federal agent, or any one of a hundred different reasons" Sam urged his partner

…..

1 Hour ago:

"Okay, thanks Rose" Callen ended the call, and slid his phone back into his pocket, before turning to face Sam. "There was some sort of toxin in his blood, It's not naturally produced. But whatever it is, it's been in his blood long enough to breakdown to the point that they can't tell what it did"

"So basically the Petty officer was poisoned?" Sam asked

"Looks that way. Eric's checked where he has been via his cell, says there are 3 locations that stick out like a sore thumb. All recorded as abandoned"

"Well, let's check them out then"

…..

"So, are you planning to tell me how things went with Nell's folks, or should I guess?"

"I'll tell you, but can we maybe leave it till we finish clearing this place?" Callen asked

"Right. I'll take the south wing, you take the north wing. I'll let you know if I find anything"

…..

Opening each door, Callen would check each room for any people, equipment or signs of recent struggle.

He had found 3 separate people squatting in rooms, obviously they were just homeless people looking for shelter. They had all be quick to offer any information they had, even though it wasn't much.

In the room furthest from the entrance, Callen found yet another man, who like the last three, appeared to be homeless, despite being quite stout and wearing what looked like a good coat.

The man was slower to respond to any questions, but it seemed like this may have been due to some form of substance abuse.

Having turned to leave the room, Callen pulled out his phone and started to dial Sam. But before he could hit 'Send', he felt an arm get pulled round his throat, causing him to struggle against whoever was trying to choke him, and caused him to drop his phone, to allow him to focus his attention and strength on the man he had mistakenly identified as homeless. Both Callen and the other men, grunted as they fought against one another. When Callen felt he finally was about to gin the high ground, he felt something be pushed against his neck, feeling a sting before he lost his footing and collapsed on the floor. All he could see from where he landed was the stout gentleman slipping something back into his pocket as he laughed and left the room, leaving Callen in a pile on the floor.

…..

"G… G. Come on man" Sam urged his partner, before he slapped his partners face to try and shock him awake.

Watching his parted slap him and shake him, Callen slowly started to feel able to lift his arms, move his head, and eventually managed to pull himself into a seated position with the help of Sam

"What happened" Sam asked

"I'm not sure… but I think I need to go to a hospital" Callen replied

…..

Present:

"She's gonna know…"

"Despite what we may sometimes think, She isn't psychic" Callen replied to Sam

"Fine, $50 says she knows before we even say a word"

"$100, or are you not _that_ confident" He Goaded Sam

"You say so…"

Having finalised their wager, the two special agents walked into the Mission, and headed for OPS

"Here, you better drink this" Sam said, and he pushed a bottle of water into his partners hand "It's not just Hetty you want to hide this from"

Sam walked upto OPS, with Callen waiting at the bottom of the stairs, as he quickly drank from the bottle, and followed after his partner.

…..

"She's been calling in almost every hour, practically begging for a reason to come back here" He could hear Nell say in between chuckles as the door to OPS opened before him.

Looking over at her, he smiled, pleased to see her so happy.

"… and then Deeks calls in a few minutes later, begging that we don't need her" Eric added

"So does the Op need her, or does he need her" Callen asked, with a smirk.

Callen had felt fine when he walked into OPS, but had started feeling a little light headed. Rather than saying anything, he moved over to the raised work surface and leaned against it, to gain some much needed support

"Eric can you put out a BOLO, 6 ft, Caucasian male, short dark hair, stout, last seen wearing a heavy dark grey coat. Last seen on Cerittos Avenue, about noon today. Wanted for assault on a federal agent"

Callen could see the looks between Eric and Nell as he gave the reason they were seeking the suspect. He could also see Sam trying not to look at either the technical operator or the intelligence analyst.

"Sure thing" Eric said, as he returned his attention to the tablet he held in his hands

…..

Callen was sitting at his desk in the darkened building, looking over some emails. He had no leads, no sightings and had still not heard back from the hospital about his blood test. He closed his laptop and leaned back in his chair, thinking over everything from the last few weeks, the changes in his life since earlier in the year, The friends and family that he had, Nell and the happiness that she brought to his life. Then his thoughts turned to his current case, the death of an otherwise healthy petty officer, and the only signs of foul play being a small cut on his neck and a toxin in his blood stream.

Callen knew that despite all the things he had done in his life, all the operations he had worked on.. that he had rarely actually been scared for himself. And now that there was a chance that he would have to face his own mortality, he found that he was scared… not for himself, but for his family, for Nell… for how they would cope when he died. He thought about the papers he had signed nine hours earlier, and about what he would have still have to deal with in the morning.

…..

Nell was out with her parents, who were still in town. So when the time came to go home, he did so alone… He went home to an empty house, and ate some take-out.

He found himself feeling much more exhausted than he usually did by this time in the evening. Rather than tire himself out any further, he quickly washed, taking particular note of the bruise on his neck, and got himself ready for bed.

Laying back in bed he started drifting in and out of consciousness, his thinking turned to his former colleagues that had died, thinking what they would have told him if they were still alive. Macy and Mike would have told him not to give up, keep chasing the perp until he had no breath left. That was all he needed, first thing in the morning, he was going to catch this guy, or die trying

…..

Nell missed her own flat, her own space… But there was one thing that she didn't miss about her flat. When she used to go home she would eat something, read documents for work, watch some TV and spend time on the phone with her sister or Eric. But most of the time, was spent alone… These days however, she was rarely at home, she quite happily spent her time with Callen in his modestly furnished home. Sure, ever now and again she would ask that they spend a night in her own bed, but most of the time she wouldn't have given a damn if they were sleeping in a dumpster, so long as they were together.

Opening the door to his house, she was surprised to find all the lights off and him nowhere to be seen. He had had a few rough days, so she could understand if he had retired to bed early. Closing the door behind her, Nell quietly walked into the master bedroom to find his sleeping form under the quilt. She got herself ready, and then slipped under the quilt to join him, laying her head on his shoulder. Having him there to hold close, was enough to help her slip into a deep slumber.

…..

When Callen woke, the sun had started to rise, and he was very pleased to find Nell, curled up in bed, beside him. Not wanting to move, and risk disturbing Nells sleep…, He chose to lay back and wait for her to awaken.

Despite having slept the full night, he still felt just as exhausted as he had before laying down in bed. He tried justifying it to himself, saying that it was because he had had a very busy, very stressful day. But part of him was worried, fearing that his exhaustion may have something to do with whatever had been injected into him.

Before too long however, He found himself slipping off, once again into slumber.

Next thing he knew, he opened his eyes to find Nell leaning over him, with tears pricking her eyes, while she hit his chest

"What's wrong?" he asked after a yawn

"I Woke up, and you didn't seem to be breathing" She eventually managed to reply, as tears began to run down her face

…..

The events of the morning had deeply affected Callen, despite not wanting to think about it, it continued to bother him on the drive in to work.

He had to drink two bottles of water on the drive in, just to rehydrate himself, which was just as troubling to him as the exhaustion was. He had decided to give the hospital until noon before he started chasing them for update about his blood results.

Walking into the office, he moved swiftly to the bullpen, sitting down and setting his computer up so he could check for any responses to the BOLO. He was disheartened to find that there had been no responses. He had hoped there would have been at least some sightings, so that they could actually do something.

"Mr Callen, follow me!" Hetty's voice commanded from behind him

Getting up and following the ageing spy, Callen began to wonder, just what she wanted him for, and secondly, why she was leading him away from her office.

Eventually reaching the Burn room, she closed and locked the door behind them.

"Do you have something to tell me, Mr Callen?"

"Hetty, can we not play this game. You know something that I should probably have told you, but chose not to. Which thing are we talking about?" Callen asked

"You were exposed to something. That's something that may directly affect your ability to work in the field. That is something that I should have been made aware of immediately"

"It may be nothing. I'm still waiting for test results. I didn't see the p…. I didn't _want_ to say anything, since you would take me out of the field, and I need to catch him"

"We have protocols for a reason. They are there to protect us, in the event that one of us is compromised. I let you away with a lot, but this time… I don't think I can look the other way"

"One way or the other, Hetty… I _am_ going after this guy. I'd rather do it as part of the team. But if I have to do it alone, I will"

Callen and Hetty stared at one another, waiting for the other to blink first

"Fine" Hetty started "You work as part of the team, until such time as you are physically unable. I take it that you have not told Ms Jones either?"

"I don't want to worry her until I know for sure that something is wrong"

"I think you already know that she's worrying." Hetty said, leaving Callen with a sobering thought

…..

"Hetty knew" Callen said, as he thrust a bundle of $20 notes at Sam

"Did she at least tell you how she found out?" the Ex SEAL asked his partner

"I can honestly say that she didn't"

"Surely you're not this distracted over losing yet another bet to me. So what else is wrong?"

Callen sat at his desk, and looked at his hands before answering

"Nell was in a state this morning. She said it looked like I wasn't breathing. That, and Hetty planted the thought in my head that Nell already knows something's wrong with me." He sighed at the situation he found himself in

"Then tell her. If its bothering you, then bein honest with her will help"

"I just don't know if I can. I mean, could you tell Michelle if you thought that you were dying?"

Sam paused, not knowing if he could tell Michelle, if the roles were reversed

"I don't know G. But do you think Nell could forgive you if she found out from someone else?"

"That's a damn good question Sam."

…..

"I'm sure, We need to speak about something" Callen told Nell

"Okay then, I'll meet you out at the car"

Callen walked down and out to the car, taking note of the beautiful weather that LA was enjoying. He had tried to work out how to tell Nell that he had been injected with something, something that they didn't know what it was. How do you tell someone that you could be dying. He had never given thought to retiring, he had always just assumed he would die in the service of whichever agency he was employed by.

But then again, there were a lot of things he had never thought about, that now needed to be given thought.

Sitting in the car, he watched in the rear view mirror as Nell walked over to the car. He had decided just to tell her the complete truth, but not until they were on their way back to the office. Well that was the plan, not that things usually worked out as he planned.

"So are you going to tell me why you can't just talk to me at the office"

Callen drove out of the car park, before responding

"There are a couple of things, nothing too major. But I guess I wanted all your attention"

Nell reach over and stroked his arm with her hand

"You always have my attention, you know that"

"I've been thinking about your situation. I mean your living situation"

"Why, are you throwing me out"

"Just the opposite. I wondered how you felt about maybe moving into my place. I know it's probably a bit out of the blue, but it made sense considering that your place got all shot up"

"You do realise, that if I said yes, that you would not just get me… but all my stuff, my furniture, my electronics. Your would lose that almost 'cave' like décor"

"I do know that… it wouldn't be a problem. Well not for me, you may not know what you'd be letting yourself in for, living with me full time. But I'm not rushing you to make a decision."

"Okay then, that's one thing. What's the other?"

"This is the one that is probably gonna annoy you. Something happened yesterday. I've been trying to work out how to tell you, and … well, I still don't"

"Just tell me" Nell said, interrupting him

…..

"How'd she take it… or did you not tell her" Sam asked

"Not well. She jumped out at the first stop signal, and refused to get back in. I chased after her for 11 or 12 blocks. I don't even know how I'm meant to make it up to her, _IF_ she ever speaks to me again"

"Well while you were being abandoned… Eric got a lead on where the Petty Officers phone ended up"

…..

"What are you doing back?, I thought you were helping Deeks"

"I was. I should be. But someone needed to pick up Nell, and calm her down" Kensi replied

"You brought her back here?" Callen asked, desperate to know Nell was okay

"Yeah. She's up stairs with Eric. Although I'd give her some space, if I were you" Kensi said, directing her comment at Callen

Callen guided Kensi away from the main chamber, and away from listening ears, into the armoury.

"You're sure Nell's okay!"

"Like I told you, she's okay, other than being a bit upset. Why didn't you tell her when you found out?"

"Because I've found out nothing. I'm still waiting for the blood test results. What was I meant to do… tell her that I could be dying, when I just didn't know" Callen answered, meant more as a statement than question

"I don't know. But what you have done, is make things a million times worse for her, and for yourself

"Kensi. You know me… Do you honestly think that I would do what I have done, with the intention of hurting or upsetting anyone, least of all Nell. But I'll tell you what. You can let Nell know I won't be going home tonight, so she shouldn't avoid going home… to the house, because of me"

Callen started to walk out of the armoury, but then seemed to lose his footing.

Before Sam or Kensi knew what was happening, they saw Callen fall over with his head hitting the wall

"Get a medic" Sam instructed Kensi, as he ran over to his partner. Kensi ran down the corridor to seek a first aider, and to call for a paramedic

…..

'God. My head' Callen thought as he opened his eyes 'What happened to me'

Looking about, he found that he was in a hospital room, which he felt that he should have been able to tell from the 'beeping' of the hospital machines.

Its was a typical hospital room… plastic plant in the corner, a generic picture on the wall, a small chest of drawers, the bed in which he was laying and a seat to the side of the bed.

He hated hospitals, and there was no way he was going to stay in the bed, and let the doctors and nurses use him as some sort of human pin cushion.

He pulled the sheet away and swung his legs round, and out of the bed. Pulled the IV line from the back of his hand, and all the other cables that were attatched to his chest, then pushed his hands on the bed frame, pushing himself up to stand on his own two feet.

He was feeling a little light headed, but he had worked when in worse physical conditions. Pulling the top drawer open he was pleased to find his clothing and personal property. With that he pulled off the hospital gown and started to get dressed… wanting to get ready, and get out before he had anyone trying to push him back into the bed.

Opening the room door, Callen moved out, and down the corridor heading towards the sign posted exit

"Mr Callen" he heard a female voice call from behind him.

Increasing his speed to try and escape his pursuer, he felt he was getting far enough ahead of the voice. Every so many steps he had to put a hand out to support himself using the wall. Unfortunately when he turned at the next intersection he was met by a man in a white coat (he assumed was a doctor), Sam, and more surprisingly, Nell

"Go Back to your Room" Nell's stern voice, ordered him

"I'm not staying here, I don't care what you say… I have a job to do"

"G. Go back to the room. It's what's best for you" Sam suggested

"You can't keep me here against my wishes. I'll sign whatever you like. But I am not staying here" He directed at the Doctor

"Fine. Wait down the hallway in the waiting room, and I'll have one of the nurses bring the forms down to you" the doctor replied, before turning into a room

"Why do you have to be so stubborn" Nell queried "You're not well, and you know it"

Callen turned to face Sam  
"What would Mike, or Macy have done in my position? Would they have sat in the hospital bed, waiting for the inevitable end? Hmm"

Sam didn't even need to give any thought as to how to answer

"They would have been out, trying to catch whoever was responsible"

"Yeah. And that's what I'm gonna do"

Nell looked to Sam, and asked if he could give her a minute alone with Callen, which he was more than happy to accommodate

"Who told you I was here" Callen asked Nell

"Kensi, Sam, Hetty…Why does it matter, I'm here. You need rest, you can't go tearing the city apart in your condition"

"My condition!?. I was just dehydrated. I can still do my job"

"There is something bad in your blood. If you keep pushing yourself you're going to do more damage to yourself. And I don't think I could cope with seeing you in a hospital bed again"

Callen just stared at her for a minute, before asking the question that he couldn't get rid of

"Is that your way of saying that if I walk out that door" He gestured to the hospital exit "That you'll leave me?"

…..

"Fill me in on what we've got, in the car" Callen told Sam, as he walked towards the exit, with Sam soon following behind

"You and Nell Okay?" Sam asked, out of concern for his friend

"What have we got!" Callen asked, with aggression in his voice

"Kensi checked out the lead Eric got about the Petty Officers phone. We got Surveillance camera footage, with a good, clear quality face shot of the suspect. Eric's running it through AFIS and NCIC to see if we get a match"

"Right, Lets go back to the office, check the BOLO. If we still have nothing, update it with the new mug shot. Can we drop by the house on the way. I need to pick up a couple of things"

"We can do that"

…..

"The office had started emptying out; only two staff remained.

Callen had positioned himself on the couch in the lounge area, leaning back and staring up at the ceiling. Sam, Kensi and Eric had all left, Nell hadn't returned to the office after visiting him at the hospital. The one person he had hoped to avoid was the only other person still in the building.

"I thought we were past the days of you sleeping here, Mr Callen"

"We were. Just needed somewhere to stay for a couple of nights. You can do your 'Hurting' me thing whenever you like" Callen replied.

Hetty walking into the lounge are and sat down on the other chair, and turned to face Callen

"What did you do"

"Put the job first. She's upset that I didn't tell her about having whatever it was, injected into me, and upset because I wouldn't stay in the hospital. I couldn't do it Hetty. I couldn't lay there, waiting for someone else to find the guy. The more I analysed it, the more I felt I had to finish this myself. It's what Mike would have done, it's what Macy would have done in my place. I love Nell... I do, but I can't pretend to be someone I'm not, not even for her"

Hetty looked back at Callen, digesting what he had said

"They would, as you have said, have done what you are attempting to do. But both of them would have told you not to give up something, or someone you love, for the job. We only have so many chances at happiness, and I would hate to see you throwing away such a chance, with someone that cares a great deal for you. Don't give up so easily" She advised, before she got up and left the building.

Leaving Callen alone with his thoughts

…..

*Knock Knock*

Opening his front door, Sam also had his SIG in one hand, ready to fire.

He never had someone knock on his door this early

Finding it to be Callen standing with a bottle of water in one hand, Sam put the safety back on, and tucked the weapon back in the holster on his waist

"What you doing here at this time?" Sam asked his partner

"Getting a jump on the day. You can skip the gym… we're gonna follow a lead, and catch this guy **today. **Had a multiple sightings of him in Long Beach, and a sighting of him going in and out of a building off San Clemente Ave, San Pedro. I want to take this bastard down while I can still walk and talk"

"Okay G. Give me a couple of minutes, then we can go"

Sam closed the door, and Callen returned to the car

A few minutes later Sam left the house and got in the passenger seat.

"Don't think you're getting special attention this morning… I called Deeks and then Kensi about a half hour ago" Callen said as he headed towards Long Beach

"You sure you're good to do this, especially after yesterday?" Sam enquired

"Trust me. I'm Good. Tactical gear's in the trunk, so once Kensi and Deeks show up, we're good to go"

"Y'know, no one would think any less of you if you just ran things from OPS"

"Sam!. I'm Good. We're gonna catch this guy, even if it's the last thing I do"

…..

Sam and Callen swept the ground floor, while Kensi and Deeks checked the upper floor in the building. After 10 Minutes Kensi and Deeks radioed to let Callen and Sam know that the upper floor was clear.

Callen and Sam continued sweeping the vast ground floor. All of a sudden Callen stopped and raised one hand to indicate to Sam to Stop. He could faintly hear something… something like the sound of a kettle boiling.

Callen quickly radioed Kensi and requested that Her and Deeks drop back down to the ground floor and start clearing the building from the far end, and they would all meet up once they found whoever it was that was in the building.

Callen started to rush along the corridor and checking each room as quickly and carefully as possible, with Sam covering his back and double checking each room before they moved onto the next room. After a few minutes They could see Kensi and Deeks working along from the far end of the corridor, and were left with only 5 rooms. Desperate to catch who had injected him, he rushed to clear each of the remaining rooms, keeping the Sub Machine Gun raised, and ready to fire.

Opening his last door he was pleased to find the man in the heavy coat leaning over a work bench

"Federal Agents. Drop any weapons on the ground, and keep your hands up" Callen said in a raised voice to the suspect with Sam coming in at his side and aiming for the man

…..

"How much longer is this clown gonna take" Enquired Deeks

"As long as it takes. Last thing any of us want is Callen being given the wrong thing" Sam explained to his colleague

"Do we actually believe that he's going to mix up the real antidote?"

"He better. If he doesn't give us the genuine, antidote, I'll kill him" Sam admitted

"We could always just lock him in a room with Hetty. I'm sure she could get the true 'recipe' out of him" Deeks suggested "Or send Nell in… she managed to get answers out of the guy that shot Callen before"

"Some how I doubt Hetty or Granger would be willing to try that again. Besides, I don't know that she would be willing to try"

"What did he do?"

"Chose the job over her"

"Rookie mistake"

"Don't take this the wrong way Deeks. But I don't think what they have, or had… is comparable to whatever experience you gained with your conquests"

"No need to get personal. Has anyone actually questioned him about the petty officers murder?"

"Not yet… We have other priorities at the moment"

…..

"Hey, You okay?" Kensi asked, as she followed Nell into the locker room

"Yeah, I'm fine" She replied, with hurt in her voice

"You know he's gonna be okay. He's too stubborn to die"

"It's not just that Kens…"

"So, what is it?"

"I saw something that I shouldn't have" Nell paused, trying to psyche herself up for what she was going to tell her friend "I was filing documents for Hetty, and one of them was a will for Callen"

"Please don't tell me that you read it"

"I can't. I couldn't help myself. What it said… it shocked me. He only filled it out the other day, and then all _this_ happened"

"I don't want to hear anything about his will, okay."

"You knew Special agents Renko and Macy… would they have done what Callen has done, even at the expense of anything or everything else?"

"Short answer, Yes. Long answer, maybe. But you know he loves you, probably like has never done before"

With this response, Nell sat down on the floor and stared at her hands

…..

Callen sat in the waiting room at the hospital. He was waiting to see the doctor, and hoping that the doctor would tell him that there was good news about whatever it was that he had been injected with.

Despite knowing that they had the man responsible for the toxin, he was hoping that someone could tell him how long he had until the toxin did irreparable damage, how long till he was forced to take a hospital bed

"Mr Callen" the doctor called from the door way.

Callen got up and followed the doctor to a consulting room.

Once they were inside and the door closed, they both sat down and Callen waited to hear the (expected) bad news.

"Your results came back. It looks like the contaminant is causing Sepsis"

Callen looked confused, not knowing that word

"Basically your blood is becoming toxic, and as the blood pumps throughout your body, it's doing damage to your organs. We simply don't have any experience with this specific contaminant. Short term we could try and give you a blood transfusion, and hope that the contaminant gets flushed at the same time. If that doesn't work, I don't know what we can do. I would like to ask for a further blood sample, it will let us determine how badly its affected your blood since your previous samples, and allow one of our labs to look at if there is some other treatment that we could try. Have you had any other issues?"

"Em.. Just a few dizzy spells. Other than that nothing that comes to mind"

…..

"What's going on?" Callen asked

"We're promised a 'cure'. Should be ready within the hour" Sam offered

"Who threatened him… you or Kens?" He asked with a grin on his face

"Now why ever would you think one of us would have done such a thing" Sam asked, trying to sound innocent

"Even I get the 'cure', damage may already have been done"

"Yeah Yeah. Stop being Mr depressing. C'mon, Lets go do some target practice. It always distracts you"

Callen followed Sam, knowing that he was right. Target practice did help distract himself, from thoughts that he preferred to not focus on.

After a few rounds of practice, Callen stepped back to 'call' the target sheets

"Missed a few there partner" Sam said

Trying to excuse it, Callen explained it off as him already being slightly distracted. Although he wasn't so sure that was the entire truth.

As they walked back to the Bullpen, Sam notice Callen start to slow down, start shaking and then he dropped the ground.

Sam rushed over to his partner, noticing that he was having some sort of fit, or seizure.

He pulled out his phone and called 911

…..

Callen had no idea what had happened, his vision was all cloudy, all he could see were coloured blobs, and feel a weight on his right arm, causing pins and needles.

He tried to sit up , only to have someone push him back down onto what he was sure was a bed 'God, don't say I'm in the hospital again' He thought to himself. No sooner had he thought this, than someone (he assumed the same person that pushed him down) slapped his face.

He blinked a few tries, trying to clear his vision. Not that it helped

"Don't you ever do that to me again" He recognised Nell saying

"How long?"

"A little over a day. They did a transfusion, and then Kensi brought over the anti toxin. Is that this finished then?"

"Which this" He asked, still not able to see clearly yet

"THIS, This" She demanded

"Yes, and No. Yes I'm finished my manhunt. And No I'm not letting you walk away from me… emotionally I mean"

"Good. 'Cause I've agreed to take you up on your offer…. I'd like to move in… if it's alright with you"

Callen didn't even try to hide the smile, showing his joy at knowing she wasn't going to leave him, and was going to move in

"One question I need you to answer… Your Will?"

"Had to make sure my family were provided for. You guys _are_ my **family**. You guys _are_ my **priorities. **I rely on you all"

Nell climbed back onto the bed, and lay next to him. Relieved that he would be okay

…..

Epilogue:

A few days later, once Callen had received the all clear from the doctor, They started to move Nell's stuff from her flat into their home.

With one of the bedrooms being fitted out as a home office, The TV that had in a way sparked their relationship was placed in the lounge, pictures and knickknacks were placed on the walls, and bookshelves.

The house Callen owned and lived in, had become a true home, and had found himself someone that he could truly love, and that loved him back… the true him. Things that Sam never thought his friend would get from life


End file.
